Balance Training for Basketball Players
Basketball is jump, land, cut, repeat, often on one foot and often onto someone else's. That makes ankle sprains one of the game's most common inju...
Balance Training for Runners
In this article
The short answer
Running is a long series of single-leg landings, so the stability of each landing matters. Balance training teaches your ankle, knee and hip to absorb uneven ground, curbs and tired late-race strides with small, fast corrections. The research on runners specifically is still thin, but the evidence for balance training in preventing ankle sprains is strong, and a few minutes on a SlackBoard a few times a week is an easy way to add it.
Why runners need balance
At every step, one foot carries your full body weight plus the force of landing. Trails add rocks and roots, road courses add cambers and curbs, and fatigue makes every landing a little less precise. Your ability to stay stable on one leg in those moments depends on proprioception: your body's sense of where each joint is and how quickly to correct.
What the research says
-
Ankle sprains: balance training is one of the best-supported ways to reduce them. A meta-analysis of randomized trials in athletes found balance training cut ankle sprains by 38% (de Vasconcelos et al., 2018). That's relevant to anyone who runs trails or has rolled an ankle before.
-
Knee stability: in a randomized study of healthy young adults, four weeks of slackline training improved how quickly people stabilized after a sudden platform shift, with less corrective movement at the knee and earlier thigh-muscle activation (Pfusterschmied et al., Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 2013).
-
Runners specifically: a small study of 10K road runners found a sensorimotor training program improved static single-leg balance (Fisioterapia em Movimento). Larger trials on running injuries themselves haven't been done yet.
The honest takeaway: balance training is low-cost and well-supported for ankle stability, and it's a sensible add-on to a runner's strength routine, not a replacement for it.
A 10-minute SlackBoard routine for runners
Do this two or three times a week, after an easy run or on a rest day, not before a hard workout. Runners usually train on a single line, since it's the more challenging setup. If you're new to it, start on the SlackBoard Plus in two-line mode for a week.
|
Exercise |
How |
Reps |
|---|---|---|
|
Centered stand |
Both feet on the line, knees soft, eyes forward |
3 × 30 seconds |
|
Single-leg stand |
Lift one foot and hold, like the midstance of a stride |
3 × 20 seconds each leg |
|
Runner's arm swing |
Single-leg stand while swinging your arms as if running |
3 × 10 swings each leg |
|
Mini squats |
Both feet on the line, bend and rise slowly |
2 × 10 |
|
Step-on, step-off |
Step onto the line with one foot and stabilize before bringing the other up |
2 × 8 each leg |
Your legs will shake at first. That's your nervous system learning to fine-tune its corrections, and it settles with practice.
Next read: Balance Training After an Ankle Sprain, and Balance Training After a Knee Injury.
FAQ
Q: Is balance training good for runners?
A: Yes. Running is single-leg work, and balance training is well supported for reducing ankle sprains. Direct studies on running injuries are still limited.
Q: How often should runners do balance exercises?
A: Two or three short sessions a week is plenty. Consistency matters more than length.
Q: Can balance training make me faster?
A: There's no good evidence that it improves race times directly. Its main value is stability and control, especially on uneven ground and when tired.
Q: Should runners use a single-line or two-line SlackBoard?
A: Single-line for most runners, since it's more challenging. Start in two-line mode if you're new to balance training.
Sources
-
de Vasconcelos GS, et al. Effects of proprioceptive training on the incidence of ankle sprain in athletes: systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Rehabil 2018;32(12):1581–1590. PEDro record
-
Pfusterschmied J, et al. Effects of 4-week slackline training on lower limb joint motion and muscle activation. J Sci Med Sport 2013;16:562–566.
-
Sensorimotor training protocol on balance and pelvic stability of street runners. Fisioterapia em Movimento. SciELO
Keep reading
SlackBoards for Kids: Balance, Coordination and Confidence
A SlackBoard turns balance practice into play. Kids build coordination, body awareness and confidence by doing what they already love: wobbling, bo...
Balance Training for Tennis and Pickleball
Tennis and pickleball are games of short, sudden movements: lunges, split steps, quick stops and backpedals to the baseline or kitchen line. Every ...
